Written Answers

Thursday 29 June 2000

Scottish Executive

Cancer

Mr Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether palliative care will be an integral part of strategies for cancer care and the care of those with chronic and progressive illnesses.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive supports the principle that palliative care should form an integral part of the management of those with all forms of progressive illness.

Cancer

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a national cervical screening system.

Susan Deacon: I announced on 6 June my approval for the development of a single national cervical screening call/recall system for Scotland. A working group, chaired by Trevor Jones, General Manager of Lothian Health Board, is developing a full business specification and taking forward consultation with the service. I expect the group to report back me by the end of the year.

Cancer

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications are for Scottish women of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s appeal decision regarding the use of taxanes in the treatment of breast cancer.

Susan Deacon: Taxanes are available on the NHS. The use of these drugs in the treatment of breast cancer depends on the clinical judgment of clinicians taking account of the advice of their local Drug and Therapeutic Committee.

Culture

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to protect archaeological monuments and historic sites within Kilmartin Valley.

Rhona Brankin: Historic Scotland will continue to exercise its legal powers to protect the 50 monuments in the Kilmartin area scheduled as of national importance and to look after the 14 which are in the direct care of Scottish Ministers.

Disabled People

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to assist further education colleges to adapt their buildings to the needs of disabled people.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Further Education Funding Council has allocated almost £16 million to further education colleges for investment in capital works in 2000-01. It is for the colleges to decide on the details of capital investment programmes, according to their own assessment of needs and priorities.

  In addition to this, I announced on 16 June that I would make available a further £10 million for colleges’ capital expenditure this year, particularly to enhance physical access to buildings for students with special needs.

Dyspraxia

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), what tests for dyspraxia have been considered and, in particular, what consideration has been given to the tests outlined in Madeline Portwood’s book Developmental Dyspraxia .

Susan Deacon: The consideration of testing procedures for any condition is a matter for individual clinical judgment, unless the condition is one which is subject to a national screening programme or is under consideration for a national screening programme. In that case it is a matter for the National Screening Committee to advise Health Departments as to whether there is an improved test for an existing programme or a suitable test for a new one. There is no existing screening programme for dyspraxia and the Child Health Sub-group of the National Screening Committee is not currently considering introducing one.

Dyspraxia

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000 Col. 1200), whether it will recognise the eight week intensive physiotherapy treatment offered to dyspraxic children as a standard and beneficial treatment.

Susan Deacon: It is not the Executive’s function to recognise particular forms of treatment for any condition. Independent clinical expert advisory groups funded by the Executive, such as the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland and the Health Technology Board for Scotland, may from time to time issue clinical guidelines including advice on appropriate treatment.

  Even within such guidelines, the decision on whether to adopt a particular form of treatment is a matter for individual clinical judgment. It is certainly open to Scottish doctors to refer dyspraxic children for intensive physiotherapy if they believe that is the appropriate treatment.

Dyspraxia

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Cols. 1199 and 1200), what is being done to improve collation and analysis of statistics on dyspraxia.

Susan Deacon: Approximately 4.5 million outpatient, inpatient and day-case episode records are collected by the National Health Service in Scotland each year. Each computerised record is subjected to a standard national validation, either by the originating Trust or by the Information & Statistics Division (ISD) of the Common Services Agency (CSA).

  This validation undergoes regular review, and is updated where necessary to reflect changes in NHSiS management structures, and in clinical practice. The validation rules are built into numerous computer systems used by the service to collect and collate data for the national databases.

  There is therefore a constant effort to improve the collection and analysis of statistics for all conditions, not just dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement made by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000 Col. 1202) and the Deputy Minister for Children and Education (11 May 2000, Col. 627), what specific training is planned for teachers in the early detection of dyspraxia, what funding, from the £12 million announced on 11 May 2000, will be used for teachers, and what form the training will take.

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1202), whether dyspraxia will be included in special needs training for teachers and what form the training will take.

Mr Sam Galbraith: It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that they have suitably qualified and well-trained staff to meet the needs of children with special educational needs, including those with dyspraxia. The Scottish Executive assists them in this through the provision of over £5 million per year for in-service staff development and training of staff working with SEN pupils.

  The level and nature of training is for local authorities to determine in the light of local needs and priorities. However, they are required to prepare and submit to the Executive training strategies for staff working with SEN pupils.

  The £12 million referred to in the debate on 11 May is the Inclusion Programme announced in September 1999 to assist local authorities to include pupils in mainstream education.

Dyspraxia

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, col. 1200), what opportunity will be offered to the Dyspraxia Foundation to make direct representations to the national special educational needs advisory forum in the process of its consideration of the Minister’s referral.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Dyspraxia Foundation is being invited to submit a written presentation to the forum and to the Scottish Executive’s evaluation of the impact of in-service SEN training announced in Improving our Schools: Special Educational Needs – The Programme of Action.

  Under its SEN Innovation Grants Programme, the Executive is also supporting a two-year joint project by Afasic (Action For All Speech Impaired Children) and the Dyspraxia Foundation called "Talking about Dyspraxia". This will produce an information pack for parents, guidance for education authorities and a programme of seminars and events to promote partnership between all concerned.

Employment

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what links exists between the Careers Service, local authority schools and the construction industry for the purpose of increasing awareness of the range of employment opportunities within that industry.

Henry McLeish: The Construction Industry Training Board’s Educational Scheme employs five full-time members of staff who solely promote careers within the construction industry to young people, teachers and careers advisers. The scheme has strong links with both local authority schools, and careers service companies, and has recently held a nationwide programme of "Careers within Construction" seminars for teachers and careers advisers.

  Both the CITB and the Careers Service are actively involved in the promotion of careers information and awareness within schools. Both have developed work within the classroom curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. CITB, through their Construction Curriculum Centres, have developed programmes of Construction Careers awareness, which runs alongside regular school visits and a number of Construction Careers Evenings.

  The Careers Service Companies offer impartial advice, information and guidance to young people on a wide variety of careers and training opportunities including those in the construction industry.

Employment

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how long it takes to complete a modern apprenticeship in construction related trades.

Henry McLeish: A Modern Apprenticeship in construction follows a framework designed by the Construction Industry Training Board. It includes an SVQ Level 3 and core skills. The SVQ is competency-based and as such there is no prescribed period of training. However, in practice, the MA in construction takes around four years to complete.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to ensure that education and training initiatives for small and medium-sized enterprises meet the needs of those businesses.

Henry McLeish: The needs of small and medium-sized enterprises are integral to the Executive’s education and training policies. Through the enterprise network, priority is given to support for learning and skills development in SMEs. National Training Organisations have a duty to assess SME skills and training needs, and to influence education and training provision to ensure that these needs are met. The new Investors in People standard launched in April this year is designed to make the IiP process more accessible to small organisations. One of the key functions of the Scottish University for Industry – learndirect scotland – will be to assist businesses of all sizes access learning opportunities, in the right place, at the right time, and at the right cost.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to improve the dissemination of information to the business community.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is determined to improve both the range and quality of information provided to the business community, and to increase electronic access where appropriate. For example, we are currently working with Scottish Enterprise to improve the consistency and quality of support provided to small businesses in the SEn area, and this will include an enhanced web-based information system. I hope to announce details shortly.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to reduce the potential for confusion in the area of education and training initiatives for businesses by eliminating any duplication and simplifying access.

Henry McLeish: One of the key functions of the Scottish University for Industry – learndirect scotland - will be to assist businesses access the learning opportunities required, in the right place, at the right time and at the right cost. To be launched in the autumn, the learndirect scotland helpline and website will provide information and advice and take telephone or online bookings. Particular attention will be paid to the needs of small businesses: learndirect scotland will commission materials to fill gaps identified in existing provision.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to attract biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies from Pacific Rim countries.

Henry McLeish: Locate in Scotland, in consultation with the Scottish Enterprise Biotechnology Team, is working to attract biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to Scotland. In the Pacific Rim area, this work focuses particularly on Japan.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the access of small and medium-sized companies to venture capital.

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the financial sector on providing venture capital for long-term investment for new and expanding Scottish companies.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is keen to ensure that small and medium-size companies are able to access sufficient finance to develop their activities.

  Scottish Development Finance, the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise, currently operates two specific schemes in partnership with the private sector - the Scottish Equity Partnership and the Scottish Technology Fund - aimed at providing venture capital support for new and expanding Scottish companies.

  SDF maintains strong links with the financial sector and the Scottish Executive is currently working with SDF to consider ways in which additional venture capital support for SMEs might best be delivered. The establishment of Scottish Development Finance as an independent fund management business - due to take place in July - will allow SDF to attract additional investment into this important area.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to provide, for sectors of the economy where skill shortages are evident, a register of skilled and senior management talent who may be on career break, semi-retirement or in part-time employment to enable companies to access expertise on a short-term basis as necessary.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Labour Market Intelligence Unit is being established to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of information which informs decisions and actions in the labour market. One of the roles of the new Unit will be to ensure that information and intelligence is available to employers to predict movement, trends and demands.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to provide access to administrative and support staff to small and medium-size high growth companies who otherwise could not sustain them.

Henry McLeish: We are currently working with Scottish Enterprise to enhance the quality and consistency of support provided to businesses in the SEn area. This will include improved support arrangements for high growth start-ups. The new arrangements will provide greater consistency in core support for such companies, while ensuring that detailed assistance continues to reflect the specific needs of the businesses involved. I hope to announce details shortly.

Fisheries

Mr John Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to encourage the use of wrasse and other environmentally friendly methods of sea lice control and whether such methods can assist in the sustainable future of the industry.

Mr John Home Robertson: The Scottish Executive is fully committed, through the powers exercised by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and through improved husbandry and other practices recommended in the report of the Government/industry working group on ISA, to the control of sea lice in an environmentally friendly way.

  The use of wrasse is one possibility and is being practised in some areas but has limitations. Wrasse can transmit disease and parasites and are susceptible to some diseases which affect salmon. Their use is only seasonal and stocks of wild wrasse are limited.

Fisheries

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any changes are proposed in the licensing and quota management arrangements for the under 10 metre fleet.

Mr John Home Robertson: The under 10 metre fleet is an important part of the fishing industry and I intend to promote a stable future for Scottish inshore fishermen. I have discussed the options for action in this area with the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Advisory Group.

  Last year, in response to concerns about the scope for increased fishing effort, the Fisheries Departments invited comments on measures to improve the management of the under 10 metre fleet. More than 250 replies have been received from fishermen’s organisations and individual fishermen. The majority of those commenting were opposed to further constraints being placed on this part of the industry such as a prohibition on weekend fishing, regional licensing or species specific licences.

  Although we have been successful in limiting the closure of fisheries, we do need to safeguard against the consequences of further increases in fishing effort. In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the construction of highly efficient vessels between 9 and 10 metres. This trend prompted the Fisheries Departments to introduce monthly catch limits for North Sea nephrops last autumn and to extend these arrangements to Area VII and West of Scotland nephrops for the year 2000.

  In our view it would be prudent to adopt further measures to constrain future growth in fishing effort within the under 10 metre fleet. Consequently from 1 January 2001, it will not be possible to aggregate licences from vessels under eight metres onto vessels between 8 and 10 metres. From the same date a limit of 70 vessel capacity units will apply to the aggregation of licences onto vessels below eight metres. Additionally the Licensing Review Working Group, comprising representatives from industry and Fisheries Departments, has been asked to consider whether any changes should be made in the capacity penalties applying to the transfer or aggregation of licences within the under 10 metre fleet.

  The Fisheries Departments will continue to manage quota allocations for the under 10 metre fleet with the objective of providing fishing opportunities throughout the year. Quota allocations for the main stocks of interest to under 10 metre vessels have been underpinned for a number of years and in future any surplus that arises on these allocations will be utilised to acquire additional quota for this part of the fleet. Greater use will also be made of EU provisions on end-year flexibility enabling quota to be borrowed from the following year and for certain stocks for any surplus to be banked. Where the quota available is not sufficient to provide for year-round fisheries, the Fisheries Department will take action to close fisheries for limited periods or to impose monthly catch limits. Prompt consideration will also be given to whether suitable arrangements might be possible that would enable Producer Organisations to manage quota in respect of under 10 metre vessels within their membership.

Further Education

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to encourage more women to participate in computing and ICT courses in further and higher education.

Henry McLeish: A wide range of initiatives is being undertaken both by the Scottish Executive, and by the universities and colleges themselves, to encourage and facilitate the participation of women in education and training generally. Women now comprise more than 50% of students in both higher and further education.

  There have also been significant increases in the number of women undertaking computing and ICT courses in Scotland over the last three years – a 40% increase in participation in higher education courses and a 46% increase in further education. This has been supported by recent initiatives as diverse as the additional £6 million for childcare provision mainly for part-time further education students and the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology scheme to which the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council has allocated approximately £100k per annum.

Genetically Modified Crops

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that honey dew, honey and pollen contaminated from GM crops do not appear in the food chain.

Ross Finnie: Our policy in relation to GM crops has always been to ensure human health and environmental safety. While it is not possible to give an absolute guarantee that very small amounts of GM material will not be present in honey products, the independent expert advice available to us is that this poses no safety concerns. Without those reassurances we would not grant consent for GM crop trials.

Genetically Modified Crops

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to investigate the types and safety of herbicides used in some of the GM crop trials.

Ross Finnie: All pesticides used in this country, including those which are applied to GM crops, are subject to strict statutory control and are only approved following thorough scientific investigation and evaluation of the risk that they pose to people, wildlife and to the wider environment. Only if this assessment shows that there is no unacceptable risk will the Advisory Committee on Pesticides recommend to Ministers that approval be granted. All pesticides are subject to routine review but can be reviewed at any time if any evidence emerges concerning their safety.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Executive’s response is to the interim report of the task force set up to oversee the management of NHS services in Tayside.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Tayside Task Force Interim Report has been received by Susan Deacon for her consideration. The Executive’s response will be issued in the very near future.

Health

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions major operations at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow have been cancelled, after the patients have been admitted to hospital and prepared for surgery, due to a lack of intensive care beds in the hospital.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is available from South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust, which has management responsibility for the Southern General.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the appointment of members of health councils by health boards compromises the councils in fulfilling their statutory watchdog function within the NHS.

Susan Deacon: The Executive is committed to improving patient and public involvement in the NHS. In recognition of their key role, the Executive is working with local councils, and the Scottish Association of Health Councils, to ensure that their effectiveness is improved wherever possible. As a part of this process, funding has been provided to the association to employ two Development Officers to improve the focus of the work of local councils. This work will examine all aspects of the organisation framework within which health councils operate and will include the selection and appointment process for health council members.

  The aim of the Executive is to encourage councils to work more closely with their health board so that their activities are targeted at achieving the greatest health gain for the people they serve.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the selection and appointment procedures of health council members.

Susan Deacon: The Executive is committed to improving patient and public involvement in the NHS. In recognition of their key role, the Executive has recently provided the Scottish Association of Health Councils with funding to employ a Development Officer to improve the focus of the work of local councils. Part of this work will include the examination of all aspects of the organisation framework within which health councils operate and will include the selection and appointment process for health council members.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations were cancelled in Glasgow hospitals in the last year for which figures were available.

Susan Deacon: Information on the total number of operations cancelled in Glasgow Hospitals in the last year is not available centrally.

  Details of planned admissions to hospitals which are cancelled are published annually in the NHS in Scotland Annual Report and in the Scottish Health Statistics.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any schemes in Scotland whereby doctors or other health professionals can prescribe heating or insulation work to be carried out on a patient’s home and, if not, whether there are any plans to introduce such a scheme.

Iain Gray: There are no formal schemes. Medical opinion can and is offered in support of individual applications.

  On 1 July 1999, the Executive announced the Warm Deal grant scheme aimed at reducing the incidence of damp housing. £13 million is available in the current financial year. 37,000 households have already benefited from the improvements made. 100,000 households are expected to benefit by 2003.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), to list (a) the Executive’s representatives on the National Screening Committee (NSC), (b) the Scottish Executive’s representatives on the NSC’s children’s sub-group and (c) all other representatives on the NSC and/or NSC’s children’s sub-group who represent Scottish institutions.

Susan Deacon: The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Scotland is our designated representative on the National Screening Committee (NSC). He is usually represented at meetings by one of his Principal Medical Officers.

  A Senior Medical Officer on the CMO’s staff, with responsibility for children’s health issues, represents the Executive on the NSC’s Child Health Sub-Group.

  The UK Government, the National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Executive all have designated representatives on the committee and the sub-group on similar lines to the Scottish Executive.

  The remaining members of the committee and the sub-group are selected on the basis of their individual expertise or as representatives of relevant professional groups or disciplines. They are not selected on a regional or geographically representative basis, though several of them are Scots.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), (a) what conditions are currently being considered by the National Screening Committee’s children’s sub-group and (b) what conditions the National Screening Committee’s children’s sub-group plans to investigate with a view to possible inclusion in future national screening programme.

Susan Deacon: The National Screening Committee’s Child Health Sub-Group is currently involved in a very full three-year rolling programme which will cover consideration of the following disease processes for possible screening programmes:

  MCADD (Medium Chain Acyl-co-A Dehydrogenase Deficiency

  Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

  Biotinidase Deficiency

  Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

  Neoroblastoma

  Haemoglobinopathy

  Neonatal Liver Disease

  Congenital Dislocation of Hips

  Coeliac Disease

  Speech and language delay

  Dyslexia

  Hyperlipidaemia

  Conduct disorders/Developmental disorders

  Cystic Fibrosis

  Vision Screening

  Dental Screening

  Undescended Testes

  Autism

  They have not yet considered what further conditions will be considered when this work has been completed.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, which of the conditions that fall under the remit of the National Screening Committee’s children’s sub-group currently have screening programmes.

Susan Deacon: The National Screening Committee and its Child Health Sub-Group keep all conditions which have current screening programmes under review to ensure that any new developments in testing or treatment are taken into account. The conditions which have current screening programmes and are currently being reviewed by the Child Health Sub-Group’s remit are visual screening, congenital dislocation of the hips and undescended testes. The Sub-Group has just put forward proposals for extending the screening programme for hearing loss to neonates.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), what the full criteria are which have to be fulfilled to allow the National Screening Committee to advise that a condition be added to the current screening programme.

Susan Deacon: Ideally all the criteria set out below should be met before screening for a condition is initiated. The criteria are based on the classic criteria first promulgated in a WHO Report in 1996, and also take into account international work on the appraisal of screening programmes, particularly that in Canada and the United States.

  1. The condition

  1.1 The condition should be an important health problem.

  1.2 The epidemiology and natural history of the condition, including development from latent to declared disease, should be adequately understood and there should be a detectable risk factor, disease marker, latent period or early symptomatic stage.

  1.3 All the cost-effective primary prevention interventions should have been implemented as far as practicable.

  2. The test

  2.1 There should be a simple, safe, precise and validated screening test.

  2.2 The distribution of test values in the target population should be known and a suitable cut-off level defined and agreed.

  2.3 The test should be acceptable to the population.

  2.4 There should be an agreed policy on the further diagnostic investigation of individuals with a positive test result and on the choices available to those individuals.

  3. The treatment

  3.1 There should be an effective treatment or intervention for patients identified through early detection, with evidence of early treatment leading to better outcomes than late treatment.

  3.2 There should be agreed evidence-based policies covering which individuals should be offered treatment and the appropriate treatment to be offered.

  3.3 Clinical management of the condition and patient outcomes should be optimised by all health care providers prior to participation in a screening programme.

  4. The screening programme

  4.1 There should be evidence from high quality Randomised Controlled Trials that the screening programme is effective in reducing mortality or morbidity.

  4.2 There should be evidence that the complete screening programme (test, diagnostic procedures, treatment/intervention) is clinically, socially and ethically acceptable to health professionals and the public.

  4.3 The benefit from the screening programme should outweigh the physical and psychological harm (caused by the test, diagnostic procedures and treatment).

  4.4 The opportunity cost of the screening programme (including testing, diagnosis and treatment) should be economically balanced in relation to expenditure on medical care as a whole.

  4.5 There should be a plan for managing and monitoring the screening programme and an agreed set of quality assurance standards.

  4.6 Adequate staffing and facilities for testing, diagnosis, treatment and programme management should be available prior to the commencement of the screening programme.

  4.7 All other options for managing the condition should have been considered (e.g. improving treatment, providing other services).

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (25 May 2000, Col. 1200), what the definition is of "standard treatment" as used by the National Screening Committee.

Susan Deacon: The National Screening Committee does not define standard treatment. Its criteria, however, include requirements that there should be an effective treatment or intervention established for patients identified through early detection, and that there should be evidence of early treatment leading to better outcomes than late treatment. Such evidence would be more convincing if the treatment was one used widely and acceptable to most clinicians.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which health boards have a register of diabetic patients and what steps it is taking to ensure that all health boards have such a register.

Susan Deacon: All health boards have or are developing a register of patients with diabetes. Work is continuing in all areas to ensure that all patients with diabetes are included. The Scottish Executive is supporting a range of initiatives in diabetes including work to support and encourage integrated care. A pilot project is underway to support the central collation of data about diabetes.

Higher Education

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet Brian Duffield of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) project and what information it will seek from him regarding (a) the future of the UHI project and (b) any barriers which prevent the UHI from securing university status.

Henry McLeish: Officials wrote to UHI on 6 April setting out issues for UHI to resolve with its Academic Partners before we can reach a decision on whether to approve the application submitted on behalf of a new institution, called UHI, to be designated as a provider of higher education, eligible for funding by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. These are, broadly, technical issues surrounding service level provision, and constitutionaI issues concerning the respective responsibilities of UHI and its Academic Partners. I met Sir Fraser Morrison, Chairman of UHI, the company promoting the University of the Highlands and Islands Project, on 9 June, and he was able to give me an encouraging report of progress in addressing the outstanding issues. I have no plans to meet Professor Duffield.

  Designation is a necessary first step for all higher education institutions seeking university status. In addition, they must satisfy rigorous academic, breadth and numeric criteria. These have been agreed by all four UK Ministers with responsibility for higher education and the Privy Council, which is responsible for authorising use of the word "university" as part of an institution’s title. UHI would be expected to meet these criteria.

Higher Education

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of what the expenditure of £9.86 million on the University of the Highlands and Islands project has been spent on and on what the further provision of £1 million is to be spent.

Henry McLeish: Of the £9.86 million development funding provided to the University of the Highlands and Islands Project over the years 1996-97 to 1999-2000, £3.68 million has been spent on academic development, £4.12 million on information and communication technology investment and development and £2.06 million on the costs of the Project’s Executive Office.

  The project has yet to provide a breakdown into these categories of the £1 million in the current financial year.

Higher Education

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why university status is not expected to be conferred upon the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) project for some years and what precisely the UHI project is required to do in order to attain such status.

Henry McLeish: UHI, the company promoting the University of the Highlands and Islands project, applied in December 1998 for designation of a new institution. Designation is a necessary first step for any institutions that wishes to apply for university status.

  Designated institutions seeking university status must first meet stringent criteria agreed UK-wide by the four Ministers with responsibility for higher education and the Privy Council, which consents to applications for a university title. The criteria cover academic achievement, subject breadth and student numbers, and require the establishment of a track record. UHI, like other institutions seeking university status, would have to fulfil these criteria.

Housing

Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend to North Lanarkshire Council that it ensures that, under its restructuring of its housing system, all long-term applicants on the waiting list from the previous system will be successfully transferred to the waiting list for the new system.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This is a matter for the local authority.

Information Technology

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how European Union funds will be used to improve information and communication technology in the Highlands and Islands.

Mr Jack McConnell: Generally, investment in information and communication technology is a matter for the private sector in line with regulatory and commercial considerations. However, the Special Transitional Programme for the Highlands & Islands will include provision for limited support to ICT development, including infrastructure in remote areas, where the needs of the area cannot be met by commercial interests alone.

Justice

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many mortgage repossession orders were made in each court district in each quarter from 1994 to the latest available date.

Mr Jim Wallace: Figures in relation to repossession of property by mortgage lenders have been collected by the courts since a revised system of collecting Civil Judicial Statistics was instituted on 1 January 1994. The figures for the number of mortgage repossession orders in each Court District in each quarter from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 1999 are shown in the following tables.

  





1q 1994


2q 1994


3q 1994


4q 1994


Total




Aberdeen


0


0


1


14


15




Airdrie


40


20


25


22


107




Alloa


0


5


1


6


12




Arbroath


5


5


2


8


20




Ayr


16


8


0


15


39




Banff


0


0


0


0


0




Campbeltown


3


2


0


2


7




Cupar


13


7


7


6


33




Dingwall


2


2


4


8


16




Dornoch


0


2


0


1


3




Dumbarton


15


11


10


11


47




Dumfries


11


6


8


3


28




Dundee


27


17


18


7


69




Dunfermline


28


29


22


17


96




Dunoon


0


3


9


3


15




Duns


1


2


0


5


8




Edinburgh


2


31


127


85


245




Elgin


8


8


5


7


28




Falkirk


24


13


7


24


68




Forfar


5


2


2


0


9




Fort William


0


0


0


0


0




Glasgow


51


127


142


159


479




Greenock


0


3


0


0


3




Haddington


23


14


14


9


60




Hamilton


8


38


31


32


109




Inverness


3


0


5


15


23




Jedburgh


3


0


3


5


11




Kilmarnock


9


9


16


54


88




Kirkcaldy


12


0


25


16


53




Kirkcudbright


1


3


1


6


11




Kirkwall


0


0


3


2


5




Lanark


0


0


0


0


0




Lerwick


1


0


1


0


2




Linlithgow


32


22


19


18


91




Lochmaddy


1


0


0


1


2




Oban


3


0


3


2


8




Paisley


14


2


20


0


36




Peebles


3


3


3


1


10




Perth


0


8


23


13


44




Peterhead


16


12


12


8


48




Portree


1


1


1


1


4




Rothesay


2


1


2


0


5




Selkirk


6


3


5


4


18




Stirling


4


13


10


10


37




Stonehaven


9


5


2


5


21




Stornoway


0


0


0


0


0




Stranraer


5


4


4


5


18




Tain


2


0


1


2


5




Wick


0


2


0


0


2




Grand Total


409


443


594


612


2,058




  





1q 1995


2q 1995


3q 1995


4q 1995


Total




Aberdeen


5


5


24


56


90




Airdrie


23


26


29


28


106




Alloa


8


9


9


11


37




Arbroath


0


3


4


0


7




Ayr


37


26


26


17


106




Banff


1


5


5


6


17




Campbeltown


1


3


2


6


12




Cupar


11


7


8


6


32




Dingwall


4


4


5


13


26




Dornoch


1


1


1


1


4




Dumbarton


36


26


36


27


125




Dumfries


16


16


10


16


58




Dundee


28


14


17


35


94




Dunfermline


24


26


40


34


124




Dunoon


5


8


1


0


14




Duns


2


1


5


2


10




Edinburgh


111


73


126


109


419




Elgin


7


9


5


9


30




Falkirk


30


32


25


25


112




Forfar


2


1


0


5


8




Fort William


4


0


0


0


4




Glasgow


155


179


179


176


689




Greenock


0


1


1


6


8




Haddington


13


6


27


18


64




Hamilton


45


60


64


67


236




Inverness


14


17


14


17


62




Jedburgh


5


6


7


3


21




Kilmarnock


44


43


50


57


194




Kirkcaldy


28


45


28


31


132




Kirkcudbright


1


2


5


3


11




Kirkwall


0


1


3


0


4




Lanark


9


14


10


16


49




Lerwick


1


0


2


1


4




Linlithgow


45


43


52


40


180




Lochmaddy


0


2


0


0


2




Oban


2


2


3


1


8




Paisley


22


37


65


79


203




Peebles


2


2


1


4


9




Perth


8


24


25


19


76




Peterhead


4


11


9


11


35




Portree


0


0


2


0


2




Rothesay


0


2


0


3


5




Selkirk


2


5


6


3


16




Stirling


8


11


11


9


39




Stonehaven


9


5


8


10


32




Stornoway


0


0


0


1


1




Stranraer


3


6


7


4


20




Tain


2


0


3


2


7




Wick


0


4


6


0


10




Grand Total


778


823


966


987


3,554




  





1q 1996


2q 1996


3q 1996


4q 1996


Total




Aberdeen


54


55


47


46


202




Airdrie


36


26


38


38


138




Alloa


13


5


7


6


31




Arbroath


0


0


4


10


14




Ayr


27


17


25


29


98




Banff


5


5


4


2


16




Campbeltown


1


2


1


3


7




Cupar


18


12


14


8


52




Dingwall


3


10


1


0


14




Dornoch


0


1


0


0


1




Dumbarton


32


33


24


16


105




Dumfries


13


23


7


11


54




Dundee


43


47


42


33


165




Dunfermline


39


31


32


30


132




Dunoon


0


0


8


5


13




Duns


4


5


5


2


16




Edinburgh


136


125


139


101


501




Elgin


14


17


16


11


58




Falkirk


40


27


38


37


142




Forfar


8


10


5


6


29




Fort William


0


2


2


2


6




Glasgow


245


215


234


178


872




Greenock


16


15


14


5


50




Haddington


23


24


18


17


82




Hamilton


54


81


76


42


253




Inverness


21


18


15


10


64




Jedburgh


3


9


2


7


21




Kilmarnock


68


60


50


38


216




Kirkcaldy


42


38


36


39


155




Kirkcudbright


7


5


5


2


19




Kirkwall


6


3


4


0


13




Lanark


24


10


16


8


58




Lerwick


2


0


0


1


3




Linlithgow


72


54


39


44


209




Lochmaddy


1


2


1


3


7




Oban


8


2


2


0


12




Paisley


89


46


2


39


176




Peebles


3


1


4


2


10




Perth


34


23


29


23


109




Peterhead


17


22


15


11


65




Portree


3


2


1


2


8




Rothesay


0


0


0


2


2




Selkirk


3


5


5


4


17




Stirling


12


10


8


4


34




Stonehaven


15


13


9


5


42




Stornoway


9


2


1


1


13




Stranraer


2


8


5


5


20




Tain


4


4


4


1


13




Wick


0


0


2


0


2




Grand Total


1,269


1,125


1,056


889


4,339




  

 

1q 1997


2q 1997


3q 1997


4q 1997


Total




Aberdeen


62


37


39


48


186




Airdrie


49


46


47


58


200




Alloa


6


11


12


7


36




Arbroath


16


11


5


5


37




Ayr


36


31


40


35


142




Banff


5


1


6


3


15




Campbeltown


1


2


1


3


7




Cupar


10


11


13


10


44




Dingwall


5


1


9


2


17




Dornoch


0


1


0


0


1




Dumbarton


32


32


26


16


106




Dumfries


10


6


14


12


42




Dundee


38


41


43


27


149




Dunfermline


51


32


31


43


157




Dunoon


2


5


6


5


18




Duns


3


2


3


3


11




Edinburgh


112


140


155


129


536




Elgin


12


6


8


9


35




Falkirk


14


27


35


42


118




Forfar


5


6


3


5


19




Fort William


0


0


3


1


4




Glasgow


184


252


204


229


869




Greenock


9


7


8


22


46




Haddington


20


16


28


24


88




Hamilton


72


52


35


12


171




Inverness


10


28


14


28


80




Jedburgh


8


0


7


7


22




Kilmarnock


55


20


77


69


221




Kirkcaldy


47


54


35


40


176




Kirkcudbright


6


3


6


1


16




Kirkwall


2


0


1


1


4




Lanark


15


15


12


10


52




Lerwick


0


0


2


0


2




Linlithgow


32


42


32


54


160




Lochmaddy


1


0


0


0


1




Oban


5


3


2


2


12




Paisley


3


49


81


65


198




Peebles


2


2


1


2


7




Perth


23


19


25


17


84




Peterhead


13


15


12


13


53




Portree


0


0


1


3


4




Rothesay


2


2


1


2


7




Selkirk


5


10


5


4


24




Stirling


13


14


12


8


47




Stonehaven


10


12


13


5


40




Stornoway


0


4


0


1


5




Stranraer


6


5


7


3


21




Tain


0


4


8


3


15




Wick


0


0


0


0


0




Grand Total


1,012


1,077


1,128


1,088


4,305




  





1q 1998


2q 1998


3q 1998


4q 1998


Total




Aberdeen


56


29


42


51


178




Airdrie


50


37


89


68


244




Alloa


11


11


25


23


70




Arbroath


14


17


13


16


60




Ayr


31


42


47


29


149




Banff


2


8


6


7


23




Campbeltown


4


2


5


2


13




Cupar


8


10


9


10


37




Dingwall


4


5


7


6


22




Dornoch


1


1


2


0


4




Dumbarton


53


53


40


51


197




Dumfries


10


16


17


7


50




Dundee


32


49


47


40


168




Dunfermline


45


42


58


40


185




Dunoon


8


3


7


11


29




Duns


4


1


6


4


15




Edinburgh


142


162


169


101


574




Elgin


9


16


1


11


37




Falkirk


26


28


50


38


142




Forfar


7


9


10


5


31




Fort William


1


3


3


4


11




Glasgow


208


234


299


310


1,051




Greenock


17


14


28


21


80




Haddington


17


18


20


19


74




Hamilton


10


6


22


37


75




Inverness


27


20


32


31


110




Jedburgh


4


12


7


13


36




Kilmarnock


66


51


69


82


268




Kirkcaldy


41


61


66


56


224




Kirkcudbright


0


1


2


2


5




Kirkwall


1


0


1


0


2




Lanark


12


12


18


24


66




Lerwick


4


1


2


5


12




Linlithgow


49


63


79


60


251




Lochmaddy


2


1


0


0


3




Oban


2


7


4


5


18




Paisley


101


48


0


0


149




Peebles


2


2


1


1


6




Perth


29


22


31


26


108




Peterhead


22


13


18


9


62




Portree


1


3


2


2


8




Rothesay


3


3


2


2


10




Selkirk


11


5


12


10


38




Stirling


13


19


21


13


66




Stonehaven


6


7


3


6


22




Stornoway


4


2


2


1


9




Stranraer


4


10


7


5


26




Tain


3


4


3


1


11




Wick


0


0


0


1


1




Grand Total


1,177


1,183


1,404


1,266


5,030




  





1q 1999


2q 1999


3q 1999


4q 1999


Total




Aberdeen


43


60


53


53


209




Airdrie


110


85


77


77


349




Alloa


18


22


14


21


75




Arbroath


12


17


10


17


56




Ayr


27


58


35


23


143




Banff


8


9


5


1


23




Campbeltown


3


2


2


1


8




Cupar


18


1


10


18


47




Dingwall


11


11


5


6


33




Dornoch


3


6


0


3


12




Dumbarton


51


43


41


48


183




Dumfries


13


23


11


12


59




Dundee


42


55


52


51


200




Dunfermline


42


41


49


44


176




Dunoon


10


9


4


10


33




Duns


2


7


3


4


16




Edinburgh


147


205


137


136


625




Elgin


18


23


4


1


46




Falkirk


56


53


47


54


210




Forfar


6


8


6


7


27




Fort William


4


1


1


1


7




Glasgow


344


331


286


229


1190




Greenock


24


17


16


23


80




Haddington


22


33


30


23


108




Hamilton


16


56


58


90


220




Inverness


32


22


22


21


97




Jedburgh


9


11


10


5


35




Kilmarnock


77


49


85


24


235




Kirkcaldy


55


88


68


59


270




Kirkcudbright


5


7


5


2


19




Kirkwall


2


3


3


0


8




Lanark


14


10


0


2


26




Lerwick


2


3


2


5


12




Linlithgow


77


61


89


72


299




Lochmaddy


2


1


0


1


4




Oban


6


5


6


6


23




Paisley


101


128


93


0


322




Peebles


6


1


5


2


14




Perth


30


44


37


40


151




Peterhead


23


18


25


14


80




Portree


5


6


3


2


16




Rothesay


2


9


3


0


14




Selkirk


9


10


12


7


38




Stirling


15


16


17


13


61




Stonehaven


10


9


8


10


37




Stornoway


3


3


2


3


11




Stranraer


10


6


7


8


31




Tain


2


2


3


0


7




Wick


0


0


5


2


7




Grand Total


1,547


1,688


1,466


1,251


5,952

Land Reform

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish the Land Reform Bill.

Angus MacKay: As announced by Deputy First Minister Mr Jim Wallace on 19 June (by PQ S1W-8083), in launching the third progress report of the Land Reform Action Plan, we decided to take time to resolve some of the technically complex areas of this legislation prior to publishing the draft Bill. We will make a further announcement shortly regarding our plans for publication.

Lifelong Learning

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how long it takes a trainee to qualify for a Scottish Vocational Qualification at level three.

Henry McLeish: There is no specific timescale attached to the completion of a Scottish Vocational Qualification at any of the five levels available. SVQs demonstrate a candidate’s ability to undertake a particular job to national standards of occupational competence rather than record the completion of a particular course of study or training.

  Completion of an SVQ reflects the gathering of evidence to demonstrate that a candidate meets defined performance outcomes. The length of time this will take will depend upon a number of factors, including the number of outcomes, the complexity of the job, the extent of evidence required and the needs and ability of the candidate.

Local Government

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to measure the extent of the use of new technology by local authorities in the delivery of their services.

Mr Frank McAveety: We are discussing with CoSLA arrangements to ensure that local authorities are fully involved in delivering the First Minister’s commitment that all Scottish public services will be available online no later than 2005.

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether revenue support to Glasgow City Council in 2001-02 will be reduced; if so, whether it will provide an estimate of by how much and whether it has held or has any plans to hold discussions with or make representations to the council over their preparation for a 4% reduction in spending.

Mr Jack McConnell: The level of grant Glasgow City Council will receive from the Scottish Executive for 2001-02 has yet to be determined. I expect to announce the provisional local government settlement for that year in December. The assumption used by the council in its forward-looking strategy can only be speculative at this stage.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the mental illness grant was in real terms in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Iain Gray: Total Mental Illness Specific Grant has remained stable at £18 million per annum since 1996-97 and is provided on a 70:30 ratio between the Scottish Executive and the local authorities through their Grant Aided Expenditure. The Scottish Executive’s contribution is shown in the table below:

  


Financial Year


Mental Illness Specific Grant



 

ACTUAL
(£ million)


REAL TERM
(£ million)*




1995-96


£12.229


£13.737




1996-97


£12.521


£13.625




1997-98


£11.966


£12.669




1998-99


£12.571


£12.885




1999-2000


£12.445


£12.445




  * Based on 1999-2000 as reference year, using GDP deflator.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to liase with the Health Education Board for Scotland to develop a campaign to highlight mental health problems.

Iain Gray: The Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS), which is funded wholly by the Scottish Executive, works closely with the Executive in the development of its many and wide-ranging activities, including those covering mental health.

  The promotion of mental health is a core aim of HEBS work. In consequence, the board, working in partnership as appropriate with relevant agencies such as the Scottish Association for Mental Health, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Health and Safety Executive, incorporates the topic into all its programmes.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve training and levels of understanding of general practitioners in relation to mental health.

Susan Deacon: The content of vocational training for general practitioners (GPs) in the UK is a matter for the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP). The JCPTGP works in close collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to set high quality standards in the training of GPs. During their training vocational trainees will spend time learning about mental health. We would expect all GPs to keep up to date with current practice in a key clinical priority such as mental health as part of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a definition of what it considers to be mental illness and mental disorder.

Iain Gray: No action on such a definition is envisaged by the Executive in advance of the report of the Millan Committee which is reviewing mental health legislation.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards establishing mental health specialisms in general practice.

Susan Deacon: General Practitioners (GPs) do not specialise in the sense that hospital doctors do. For information on the training of GPs in the area of mental health, I refer to my answer to question S1W-8024.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to eliminate any discrimination against individuals with mental health problems.

Iain Gray: The Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland encourages all care agencies to promote mental health and engage actively in health promotion, including action to de-stigmatise mental illness.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact mental illnesses have on patients suffering from physical ailments.

Iain Gray: A range of impacts from confusion to misunderstanding can apply. The role of carers, family and practitioners is key to helping the patient reduce this additional stress where it occurs. The aim of all concerned is to provide appropriate support and care to meet the assessed needs of individuals.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many working days were lost through mental illness in the last year for which figures are available.

Iain Gray: This information is not held centrally.

NHS Funding

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether adequate investment in diagnostic equipment is in place to ensure early detection and management of osteoporosis.

Susan Deacon: Capital resources are not specifically allocated to individual NHS Trusts for the provision or replacement of diagnostic equipment.

  Health boards and NHS Trusts must reach decisions on local priorities and then plan how to fund those priorities, including the provision of equipment. NHS Trusts can use both capital and revenue resources to meet equipment costs.

NHS Funding

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether adequate resources have been allocated for investment in NHS diagnostic equipment.

Susan Deacon: Capital resources are not specifically allocated to individual NHS Trusts for the provision or replacement of diagnostic equipment.

  It is for individual health boards and NHS Trusts to determine annually the level of funding required for new and replacement medical equipment taking into account other local priorities. Health boards and NHS Trusts can use both capital and revenue resources to meet equipment costs.

National Lottery Awards

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4663 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 31 May 2000, what mechanisms will be put in place to ensure a more even distribution of lottery funding.

Mr Sam Galbraith: We are monitoring the distribution of lottery funds and are addressing with distributors measures to encourage applications from areas of social and economic need.

Nursery Education

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve further the 68% participation rate for three-year-olds in pre-school education.

Peter Peacock: We will invest a further £137 million in pre-school education next year, bringing our total spend in this area to more than £380 million over 1999-2002. I am confident that we will meet our target of universal provision by 2002.

Planning

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the regeneration of Scotland’s town centres and what funding it is making available for this purpose.

Sarah Boyack: A Planning Advice Note Improving Town Centres was published in October 1999. This sets out ways in which local authorities, in partnership with others, can make town centres more attractive and accessible places and enhance their potential for commercial and business development. Funding is available from various sources to assist in this work.

Right to Buy

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it intends to take in the forthcoming Housing Bill to protect housing association housing from any extension of right to buy.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I refer Mr McAllion to my answer to the question S1W-7983 on 15 June which sets out how we propose to modernise the right to buy so as to achieve a better balance between the interests of the community as a whole, those tenants who wish to buy and relevant landlords such as housing associations.

  Further details of our proposals for the Housing Bill will be set out in the forthcoming Consultation Paper which I plan to issue shortly. I have also recently lodged a paper Evolving the Right to Buy: Evidence for Scotland with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. This sets out the factual and analytical information that has informed our policy proposals in this area.

Road Safety

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents have occurred in the last five years on the Balmedie to Tipperty stretch of the A90.

Sarah Boyack: In the last five years (1995-99), 54 injury accidents have occurred on the A90 trunk road between Balmedie and Tipperty, details of which are given in the table below.

  


Year


Fatal


Serious


Slight


Total




1995


1


2


12


15




1996


0


2


7


9




1997


1


3


10


14




1998


1


0


7


8




1999


1


2


5


8




Total


4


9


41


54

Social Work

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to investigate the provision of social work services in Glasgow in view of the possible strike action later this month.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Social Work Services Inspectorate is undertaking a review of social work services in all local authorities as part of its obligation to write an annual report. This includes Glasgow.

Social Work

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the ruling of unfair dismissal by an industrial tribunal, social workers employed by Glasgow City Council should be reinstated.

Mr Sam Galbraith: This matter is entirely for Glasgow City Council.

Social Work

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to investigate any discontent within the social work profession.

Mr Sam Galbraith: : No.

Student Finance

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received regarding the threshold set for the Scottish Graduate Endowment.

Henry McLeish: We are currently consulting on our proposals for student support. Our consultation document Scotland: The Learning Nation - Helping Students was issued on 24 May and we have asked for comments and views by 31 August 2000. The comments we have so far received cover a range of issues, including the threshold for the Graduate Endowment.

Teachers

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take steps to ensure that priority for supply teaching posts is given to qualified teachers not in receipt of a retirement pension from the teachers’ pension fund.

Peter Peacock: The employment of supply teachers is a matter for local authorities. I would expect them to ensure that all teaching jobs go to the most suitable applicants.

Tourism

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is of the new tourist information centre (TIC) at Strontian and whether, following the sale of a number of other tourist information centres in the Highlands and Islands, there are any plans to dispose of the Strontian TIC.

Henry McLeish: The estimated cost of the new Strontian TIC is £64,231. This TIC will be owned by Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board, who have no plans to dispose of the asset.

Tourism

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why it does not always publish detailed summaries to responses to consultation exercises; in particular, why it has not published such a summary in relation to its consultation paper A New Strategy for Scottish Tourism and, in the absence of such a summary, how it intends to demonstrate that all responses were given full consideration.

Henry McLeish: Responses to the consultation paper A New Strategy for Scottish Tourism were collated by the Scottish Tourist Board on behalf of the Executive. The STB took all responses into account, and played a significant role in the drafting of the Executive’s new tourism strategy. The responses to the tourism consultation exercise are available for public inspection, and were placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Transport

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with consultations regarding the Scottish Transport Group pension fund.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is taking forward a number of complex detailed and legal matters with HM Treasury and the Trustees of the Scottish Transport Group in working towards the wind-up of the STG pension funds.

Transport

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what research or evidence it used to rule out a levy on non-workplace customer parking provided at large out-of-town retail developments on page eight of Tackling Congestion and whether further research is being undertaken in this area of transport policy.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, during the development of its integrated transport policies, consideration was given to introducing a levy on customer parking at out-of-town retail developments specifically in order to improve the ability of town centres to compete with such developments.

Sarah Boyack: The focus of the Executive’s policy in this area is on travel to work, as traffic congestion is most concentrated in the morning and evening peak. The Executive believes that congestion is most effectively tackled by a variety of means, including walking and cycling access, home delivery services, the take-up of green transport plans by business, improvements to public transport, road user charges and a levy on parking at the workplace. The Commission for Integrated Transport is currently considering, on behalf of the UK Government, the case for a levy on non-workplace customer parking and the Executive awaits its findings with interest.

Transport

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend that local authorities standardise the criteria on which a person with reduced mobility is granted a disabled persons’ buspass and, if so, whether it will recommend that the defining criterion is a letter from a doctor rather than the receipt of mobility allowance.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no plans to do so. The existing powers under section 93 of the Transport Act 1985 allow local authorities to establish concessionary fares schemes for eligible categories including disabled people. These powers are discretionary and decisions on the extent of such schemes including the eligibility criteria are solely for the local authorities taking account of needs and circumstances.

Voluntary Sector

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to streamline funding mechanisms for voluntary organisations.

Jackie Baillie: The Executive is committed to three-year core funding for voluntary organisations, and to working with other funders to promote a stable funding environment for the sector. The Executive published Good Practice Guidance on funding of voluntary organisations on 13 June. The guidance will assist the promotion of a standard approach to funding practices.

Young People

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is listening to the views of young people.

Mr Sam Galbraith: On 19 June, I, along with a large number of my ministerial colleagues, took part in the Scottish Youth Summit 2000 organised by the Scottish Executive. This was the opening event of our Action Programme for Youth, announced in the Programme for Government document. We want young people on national policy issues that impact on their lives. The Summit enabled us, with the help of IT, to hear the views of over 1,200 young people on a wide range of subjects they had identified as relevant to them.

  Proceedings of the Summit will be published later this year. We will respond then to the key points raised by those who took part.